


Practice Makes Perfect

by shana0809



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2013-08-27
Packaged: 2017-12-24 21:08:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shana0809/pseuds/shana0809
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bet's a bet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Practice Makes Perfect

The first time they met, he was too young to know what they'd become. Not a baby but still young. A rising star back in Russia. He didn't think much of meeting Alex then. It was more about hockey. If he's honest, it's always been about hockey first and everything else second. But hovering around the edges of hockey, there's always been Alex. They've played together and against each other, and they've always been competing with each other to see who's better.

Who's number one?

 

It was like that in Sarnia, and he felt it more than he ever did in Russia. There were more guys in Russia, but in Sarnia, it was all about him and Alex. Everyone else seemed to be a step behind them. And then all about him against Alex to see who would be number one come draft day.

He won on draft day. Number one. Not that he wasn't expecting to win. That day, Alex never really had a chance. Only it's more fun for him when Alex thinks he's in the competition. It's not the same anymore. Now, he can't measure himself against Alex. They're in different conferences. Their teams are on different levels.

He's willing to leave his rookie year in the past. He'll agree that Alex had a better rookie year from a team standpoint but not from a personal one. Nail may not have won the Calder, but he still thinks he had the better year.

This is a new year. He's going to be better this year. His team is going to be better this year, and tonight he's going to start by showing Alex that he's still number one.

Tonight, Alex has left Montreal and come to his house. Alex and his boys may have had a better season last year, but that means nothing now. Besides, he knows this is Alex's first time playing in western Canada. He's had the chance to play a season out here and play World Juniors. He's played World Juniors against Canada here. He's used to what it's like. Alex didn't play when the tournament was here. Maybe that's better for him because the USA didn't do very well in that tournament.

So tonight Alex will get his first taste of Oil Country. He made sure to tease Alex about being a virgin since the season started, and then whole running jokehas made Alex stammer once, send three dirty texts, and four texts with increasingly more inventive ways of telling him to fuck off. He hasn't gotten a reaction this good out of Alex since his first offer to blow him in a trainer's room back in Sarnia.

The moment they step out onto the ice for warm ups, he knows the night is going to be wild. Maybe not mid-air goals with a second left wild, but wild all the same. It's early in the season, they've gotten off to an all right start, and this is a Canadian, Original Six team. Everyone has assured him the crowd won't let him down, so he has nothing to worry about. Even if the crowd is divided, it will still be better than almost any other building. Until right now, he was still wondering if he should have told Alex that they had the best fans in Edmonton as many times as he did.

But it's okay now. He knows it was good because they really do have the best fans.

At the first intermission, he catches Alex's eye as they file into their respective locker rooms, jerking his chin up in challenge. So far, the Oilers have controlled the play. They've used their speed to keep the Canadiens off their game. Alex hasn't looked great either. His passes have been a little bit sloppy, not tape-to-tape, and his positioning has been a little off.

He hasn't been bad, but Nail's one shot and four and a half minutes on ice is still better. And it's all about being the best. The scoreboard might not show it yet, but he feels like they're better. They've got this.

He always feels like he's better. That's part of being a competitive athlete. He's not Wayne Gretzky or Sidney Crosby, but he's better than Alex, better than the Canadiens. Better than a scoreless draw.

Alex would say the same thing. At the very least, he has a blowjob riding on the outcomes of this game.

The second period is chippy. Montreal has figured out enough of their game to keep them hemmed in the neutral zone, and Hallsy and Ebs are starting to get frustrated on the bench. The tension is high, and the score still locked at zero when they head back into the dressing room after the second.

Alex's line managed two shots on Dubey, and even though Alex didn't manage to take any of them, his offensive efforts still amounted to more than Nail's. It's frustrating.

It feels like they're sinking into the bad habits from last year, and Nail doesn't know how to snap them out of it. He's not a leader, not a big speeches man. He scores goals. He doesn't know _how_ to fix this.

He looks to Hemmer to see what his linemate has to say. They need to do something about this now, or he knows how the third will go. He's seen how the third will go too many times last year. 

Hemmer doesn't say anything though. Ebs says a couple words, and Coach says something about staying focused on the little things, maintaining puck possession, and watching the forecheck.

They get owned for the first ten minutes of the third. He can practically feel the nervous energy of the fans as they end up trapped in their own zone and aren't able to break out. They know what's coming just as well as the players do. 

He slams his stick into the boards in front of him on the bench as Briere finally puts one past Dubey. Dubey is obviously feeling the same frustration because he slams his stick into the post before he pulls his mask back down.

The next time he hits the ice, Schultzy lines up a beauty pass that lets him get a good shot on Price. Everyone is more focused. They know they have to score. They're desperate.

Hemmer's scrambling, trying to feed the rebound to Gags and keep Subban from clearing it, when he sees his opening, taps his stick on the ice a couple times to call for the puck, and fires a quick wrister over Price's blocker.

He tries not to look at Alex as he skates by the Montreal bench, preferring to enjoy the praise of his teammates and hugs from his lineys while basking in the screams of the crowd.

He's on the bench, waiting for the change when Ebs sneaks a dirty backhand wrister over Price's shoulder. He can't hear Hallsy's scream over the roar of the crowd. He can't even hear Gags sitting next to him on the bench. Everyone's excited, but no one is more excited about that goal than Hallsy. He's pretty sure Ladi makes some sort of comment about Ebs getting lucky tonight, but it's hard to hear over the noise.

The celebration in the locker room is more subdued than he was expecting. They have a roadie starting in two days, and Coach was less than impressed with their performance in the first half of the period. He turns down Schultzy's invitation for a couple drinks at the place he shares with Gags and Nuge and slips out to meet Alex.

Alex is waiting for him not far from the door to the visitor's locker room, looking as handsome as ever, hair still damp and plastered to his head from the showers.

"You played good."

Alex turns a little to look straight at him. "You guys played better."

"And I got a goal."

Alex frowns. "Whatever. Next time, we'll win, and I'll get two goals."

He laughs. "Next time, you still won't score and _I'll_ get two goals."

"Blow me, Nail."

"No. It's your turn. I was better. I scored a goal. You only got one shot and not 'til third period. Not very good, Alex. You were better in Sarnia."

"I had a good game today."

"Mine was better. Your game's better when playing with me."

"Yours was good. Anyway, I'm not expected back at the hotel right away. Gally's going to cover for me."

"Stupid to have two Gallys."

"You have Hall and Ebs. Everyone can see with them."

"I didn't say they're better. I say two Gallys is stupid."

"Is there anywhere around here..."

"A couple of rooms near here with locks. They work fine if you don't want the fancy stuff."

"We never needed it before."

Alex pushes him back against the cement wall as soon as the door to the visitors' trainer's room closes. Alex's mouth is demanding, pushing all thought straight out of his head. Not that he was thinking of much, expect how pretty Alex looks and how much he likes winning.

The hand at the waistband of his sweats makes Nail shiver. Alex jerks his pants down and his hips jerk away from the wall with it. It's a rush of cold air followed by warmth as Alex's mouth leaves his.

The warmth of Alex's mouth is something almost as good as hockey. His hips are pushed back towards the wall, his ass shoved against the cold, hard cement. Worst of all, he's forced to go at the pace Alex sets, and that's not what he wants. Too fast and then too slow. Too much and then not enough.

Alex is a tease.

As Alex pulls back, he looks up at Nail and grins. It's a beautiful grin, full of life, just like every time back in Sarnia. He bucks up into Alex's hands. The mouth on his dick is warm, wet, and delicious. He tries his best to hold out, to make Alex work, but that just makes the blond hollow his cheeks and suck hard on the head for just long enough to get Nail to the tipping point.

Then Alex pulls back and blows across his wet, aching dick, shoving him over and off the cliff. Proving, once again, that Alex knows exactly how to push Nail's buttons, and he enjoys doing it. 

Alex slides out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit with come, a smirk plastered across his face. It's almost as if he's the winner here.

Alex pushes off the floor, easily regaining his feet. "There. All paid up."

Nail can't help but grin, happy and loose. "It's always the same thing with you, but it's always good."

"You might say I'm the best, huh?"

"Only the best at sucking cock because I'm the best at hockey."

Alex laughs. "I'll let you practice when you visit me in Montreal."

"No. You will owe me more then."

"So you say. I don't think so."

"Go and be with your team. We'll see each other again soon. I'll prove I'm still number one then. Always the best."

"You only think that because I let you."

"Liar. If you were better, I would be giving you a blowjob."

Alex is laughing as he leaves Nail in the trainer's room, imagining what Montreal will be like.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Nail and Alex converse in Russian. I had an interesting discussion about whether the assumption is that two non-English speaker default to a shared native language.  
> 2\. A million and one thanks to liroa15 for the beta.


End file.
